Meredith N.
Yelp
So, for years I have been venturing to the big D for Eastern Market festivities on Saturday mornings. They have everything there, why would I want to go anywhere else, right? Well, sure, except I live just five minutes away from a perfectly good farmers market in downtown Royal Oak.
I have made only one attempt aside from today to go to the market, I was disappointed only because I misinterpreted the "open Saturday and Sunday from 7-1" as the "farmers market" is open during those times.
I ventured over there on a Sunday and was met with quite a few vendors sporting their wares - mostly forgotten treasures of times past, the "perfect" piece for some aficionado's collection, or simply one person's junk that will become something wonderful to someone else. A nice concept, but to be honest, not the most amazing flea market I have been to.
Today, I decided that I would wake up and go to the market, not the big one downtown, but the one in my own neighborhood. I was pleasantly surprised, and to be honest a bit disappointed. Please don't take my disappointment the wrong way, everything was great, lots of fun people to look at, lots of nice things to purchase, but I fear it's just too early in the season for the wonders of fresh produce - although if you enjoy asparagus, it was bountiful!
I was met with a plethora of vegetation. A jungle of flowers, herbs, succulents, ferns, grasses, greens, vegetable plants, fruit trees, and anything else you could think of that grows out of the ground in Michigan. It was wonderful - if I just didn't live in an apartment... I looked around and around, and there just didn't seem to be anything that I could cook up for dinner tonight.
I ventured around the building some more, and was met with various vendors toting their handmade soaps, honey, pickles, cookies, and even a dairy farm selling fresh milk and eggs. There was a mushroom man with several plates full of Morel's...I really wanted to pick some of those babies up.. Rounding the last corner, there was an orchard present with every color apple you would want, and on the other side a farm toting rhubarb and salad greens (as well as the asparagus I spoke of).
I should make mention that the vendors here are very generous. One vendor out of Warren Michigan asked me if I had had any of his breads before, I responded with no, and he handed me some wonderful nine-grain bread covered in tomatoes garlic and onion. He said "take this and enjoy." It was very sweet of him. I am sure that I will purchase some of his goods next time I am there, as the sample he gave me was wonderful.
So, I gave the Royal Oak Farmers Market only four stars not because it was bad in any way, but because I didn't really feel as if I had the full experience, it being so early in the season. Maybe I'll re-visit this review later this summer.